Private Tales Under the Pale Moonlight

[Dario Aragonés]

"I assure you, I only need the room for two nights at the most."

Dario happily explained to the old tavern mistress who looked to be having none of the young handsome man smiling before her. The tavern itself was nearly barren except for a scattering of patrons who were more involved in their own business. On such a beautiful night with the full moon out, this place should have been blasting with shouts of joy and music.

The small hamlet of Chihuano was only a two day's ride from Sun Throne, normally a place with any passerby would happily ignore as the place seemed to only be a small farming hamlet, but Dario's master had promised him that the place had a discreet reputation from growing strange fungi and plants. Once the man had told him more of what those florae could do, the young wizard had become dead seat on collecting several as alchemical components.

The young wizard pursed his lips in thought before offering another coin to the small stack, "Please, I'm just here to find a few roots that only pop up in this area. I'll be out of your hair."

"Ya shouldn't be here boy. Bad things under the light of the moon."

Bad things? What sort of bad things? Dario now took a longer look over the room, fully taking in the other people with a frown. They all looked tired and weathered, but more than a few of them looked scared.

"What's going on here? I'm a wizard I can help."

That line surely would have gotten him yelled at by Master Fen'Radel as he wasn't set to graduate from his apprenticeship for another year, but it was like Grandma always said. Magic is magic as long as you have the heart to use it.

Dario quickly saw the woman about to push the coin away and swiftly changed his tactics to begging. His hands whipped out to hold hers were still gripping the coin.

"Wait, just wait, if bad things happen then surely you would not leave me abandoned with no place to sleep...Just one night."

Wren

 

[Wren]

Just outside, stiffly seated astride a tired horse, Wren let the beast come to a stop and reached into a saddlebag to withdraw the bounty poster. Chihuano hadn't been an easy ride. Between the distance and the lack of trade roads along the northernmost portion of the Cortosi Coast, Wren had begun to wonder if it was even worth the trek.

The bounty wasn't paying much - though she didn't particularly care for the money. What brought her out here was to put distance between herself and Rainer and spot of pity she felt for the small village that had been overlooked for what seemed quite a while.

The parchment was older, faded, and the ink had run from sitting in the rain one too many times. Even a magic coating wore off after a certain amount of time, though Wren couldn't say how long that was. Turns out, not one Noct Yaegir from Stillwater Keep wanted to make the journey: even with the Yaegir bonus it didn't pay enough to cover the boat fair to get here and after making the trip on land herself she could now see why.

She squinted at the parchment, squinted at the tavern sign. Couldn't read the local language, but found it matched regardless. Dismounting, Wren tied her horse up to the hitching post and strode inside to the tune of the last line served by the young man at the counter.

"Wait, just wait, if bad things happen then surely you would not leave me abandoned with no place to sleep...Just one night."

Things must've gotten worse. Ugh, she was about to get an earful wasn't she?

Wren stepped forward and placed the parchment on the counter next to the pile of purportedly contested coin, "Bad luck to turn away a paying customer," she said to the mistress, "I'm here to answer your bounty. Give the boy a room."

 

[Dario Aragonés]

The old woman stood there scowling at the boy for several seconds before the sound of the door opening again made her look past him. This time she looked a bit more concerned, whatever had walked in must be more pressing than Dario.

The young man turned only to find an armored woman who had already moved up to stand behind him. His heart nearly leaped into his throat as he jumped in surprise.

"Worse luck to be the reason the boy dies and don't know no better." The tavern keeper finally spit back. She was now standing at her full height of 5'4, but it was clear she was used to people listening to her.

"And that bounty is out of date. You're too late, just gonna end up dead if ya stay here."

Dario's head swiveled back and forth between the two stern-looking women before finally finding his voice and interjecting.

"W-wait one second! There is a bounty here, for what?

He felt like he would have heard if some criminal had snuck off to Chihuano, surely Dawnguard would have sent someone to track them down.

Wren

 

[Wren]

"I doubt it," Wren didn't miss a beat, "I'm already dead."

At that, she peeled her lips back to bare her fangs at the woman with a short hiss, eyes pinning as they might when she allowed her more feral self to shift to the surface during a hunt. After only a few seconds she resumed her casual regard, giving the boy a short glance but paying him no heed.

"If the threat has increased then according to the Noct Yaegir Charter Agreement by those who submit bounty requests through our Wardens, so too does the hazard pay," she narrowed her eyes at the woman, "if this place can't afford the additional expense then you can consider my lodgings and the upkeep of my mount for the duration of my stay as recompense."

 

[Dario Aragonés]

The woman did an actually decent job of hiding her fear as she only took a step back and seemed to be reaching for something beneath the counter, while the other few people in this tavern/ inn moved to their feet.

Dario was not so professional as he immediately jumped back and let out what he would later remember was a not-so-brave yelp. Was she a...vampire? Here, in Cortos? The church was not going to be happy about this if they found out.

He turned to the older woman who was glancing at one of the other patrons. The truth was the mayor had put up that bounty some time ago with all the saved wealth of the town, and then he had bolted as soon as someone immediately did not show up. Of course, they did not have the funds for this...but could they afford to send someone away who was actually dumb enough to try and kill this thing? She looked between Wren and the boy that was still there.

"Fine, but if it takes you more than three days and nights then you pay us back for the lodging."

Her eyes shot down near the counter and quickly scooped up Dario's coin. She was going to need that now.

"First room on the right, young man. Last room on the left for you." She motioned for Wren.

Wren

 

[Wren]

"Sit down," Wren shot a glare at the men who had risen from their seats, her gaze shifting to the boy who had clearly lost the plot at seeing her, "I don't hunt humans."

Just monsters.

She took her room key and the bounty poster and without another word made her way down the hall for her room. No sense in going out now when the beastie didn't show until after dark. She'd head out just before dusk to sniff it out.

 

[Dario Aragonés]

The other patrons watched the woman walk away skeptically, but it was clear that they still weren't fully sold on her not hunting humans...not with those teeth. Still, they returned to their nights when she moved off towards her room.

Dario kindly thanked the tavern keeper even if she still had a scowl spread onto her face before he hurried after Wren, looking to rest in his own room...but before that.

"Hey, wait up!... Um, can I speak with you for a moment?"

Better to talk and ask for forgiveness later,

"I was wondering if I could accompany you tonight. It would be smart for me to have some protection while I collect my herbs, and I can assist you in any way possible if we truly do find some foul beast."

Wren

 

[Wren]

The woman stopped short of her door, a striking glance given to the young fellow over her shoulder in consideration. When she turned to face him, her own expression was that of skepticism, which did not suit the scar-covered half very well.

Normally she would have turned him down flat. She didn't need some uninitiated youth under foot while dealing with a hag of all things. Those were a challenge on their own without having to look out for innocent and useless bystanders.

"What herbs?" she asked instead.

 

[Dario Aragonés]

"Oh, um..."

That was not the question he had expected as he dug around in his pack before pulling out a journal and flipping through until he found the list he needed.

"Let's see...the forest near here is supposed to have everything from Dusk Holly, Dawn Root, and Blood Sage." He read off before looking back up expectantly.

From his own studies, Dario knew that Dusk Holly and Dawn Root could both be used to make oils that enhanced one's ability to see in the dark. Blood Sage was often used in healing potions to slow bleeding while more comprehensive healing was done.

"Listen, I can help. I'm not defenseless and I am not uneducated when it comes to supernatural creatures."

Wren

 

[Wren]

The first two she was rather less familiar with, but Blood Sage was a staple to any traveler's pack that knew a thing or two. It wasn't particularly easy to find which made it valuable beyond it's own inherent value as an ingredient. Typically she'd have turned the boy away. He wasn't a Yaegir and clearly he was quite young. She couldn't afford to have others getting in her way or coming to harm while she fulfilled her duties as a hunter.

Wren looked over the boy with a skeptical eye, brow furrowing as she mulled over the potential fallout of this scenario.

"Fine," she replied at length, "but you will stay out of my way and you will listen when I give you an order. If I tell you to hide, you hide. If I tell you to run," the Yaegir hardened her gaze on him, "what are you going to do?"

She expected a very specific answer to that question.

 

[Dario Aragonés]

"I will run like the hounds of death were chomping at my feet," Dario confirmed without a moment of hesitation.

He likely would have done that anyways, because if this woman had any doubt about killing something or keeping him alive, then he surely would not be about to kill it.

His books found their way back into his bag before also adding, "I will listen to whatever order you give to keep me safe, but I hope you don't completely ignore my help. While I'm not a monster hunter, I am not useless."

Wren